Process of making brace-irons or strengthening-irons for perches and for analogous articles.



1%. 874,506. 'PATENTED DEC. 24, 1907.

H. HIGGIN. PROCESS OF MAKING BRAGB moms 0R STRENGTHENING' IRONS FORPERGHES AND FOR ANALOGOUS ARTICLES.

APPLICATION FILED r1112. 23. 1906.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 1."

ATTORNEY.

No. 874,506. PATENTED DEC. 24, 1907- H. HIGGIN. PROCESS OF MAKING BRAGEIRONS 0R STRENGTHENING IRONS FOR PEROHES AND FOR ANALOGOUS ARTICLES.

APPLIOATION FILED FEB. 23 1906.

N ["1 HZ ZSHEETS-SEEET 2.

v NNI I I v A WITNESSES.-

7 ATTORNEY.

rrirnnyr Fron HENRY HIGGIN, OF NEWPORT, KENTUCKY, ASSIGNOB TO HIGGINMAhIUFAGTURING I COMPANY, OF NEWPORT, KENTUCKY, A. CORPORATIONOF WESTVIRGINIA.

:enoonss or MAKING- BRAGE IEONfi on. s'rnmrorn'nmnernons non rnncrrns'mnnor. stretoeous enrronns.

No. swnsoe.

fipecification of Letters Patent.

Fatented Bee. 2Q, 1807.

Application filed February 23. 1906- Serisl Bio- 302.638-

Articles, of which the following is a speciiication.

The brace irons are primarily designed for use in connection with the'wooden rch pieces of the running gear of a road ve 'cle, especially ofroad vehicles of light weight. These b-rcc'e irons ere usefulfor manypurposes. Among these may be mentioned their combination with woodenperch pieces,

for the purpose of strengthening the latter.

My mode of making this breoing iron is new and useful end is unimprovedmode over the modes of making similar analogous shapes of metal. T

The several features of m invention and the various advantages resu tingfroin their use conjointlyor otherwise will be apparent from thefollowing description and claims.-

In the accompanying drawings making a part of this application, and inwhich similar letters of reference indicate cerrespondin I parts,-lligure l. is an end view of the meta blank out of which the brace ironis formed. Fig. 2 is a. view in perspective ofthis blank.

Fig. 3 is a view of the end of this metal blank,

as fornhed during the operation of the rocess of transforming this blankinto the race iron, and showing in vertical transverse section the rollsfor doing this work, the rolls being located in conjunction with theiron. Fig. 4 isa view in perspective of the metal blank shaped in theprocess illustrated in Fig. 3. Fig. 5 shows inelevation the end of themetal blank' whenshaped ac cording to the second operation of thisrocess, and also, in section, the rolls emp eyed to effectuate thisoperation. Fig. 6 is aperspective view of the metal bank, of which-anend view is shown in the preceding figure. 7 shows in elevation the endof the metal blank when shaped according to the third 0 eration of thisprocess, and, in section,

s owe the rolls employed to efiectuate this operation. Fig. 8 is aperspective view of Fig. 9 is en.

jected to a. fourth operation, and also shows .in section the rollswhich accomplish the reduction of the metal to the shape shown thisfigure. This final operation completes the metal brace or brace ironasit is commonly termed. The correct shape of the end of the finishedbrace. is therefore shown in this fi ure. Fig. 10 is a view in perspective'ott e completed brace. Fig. 11- IS a view showing the manner inwhich the Wooden perch piece is to be pre ared to be in readinessfor-combination Wit the brace iron. Fig. 12 shows in perspective thecombination of the brace ironwith the wooden perch piece. Fi 13 shows ametal blank in the process 0 formation .into a brace iron.

I will now proceed to describe. my invention in detail.-- The coinpletedchannel piece to wit: thebrace iron has a back A, sides 0, C, andflanges B,.B. Each side'C, on the edge opposite where it vjoins the backA, has one of these flanges B. The fiangesB, E

extend from the sides 0, 0, toward each other, and preferably the planesof the-sides of these flanges B, B are parallel to. the lane of thesurface ofthe back A. The race .iron rney be'rnade of any suitablemetal. "Iron is the preferred kind of metal.

blank Z is a flat sheet piece of metal of the requisite size.

This blank is now subjected to a top roll G, and a lower roll H havingthe side flanges I, I. By this operation, the blank assumes theshape-shown in Figs. 3'

and 4. The blank thus formed isnow subjected to the. action of a lowerroll'K, having side fian es L, L, amidst the same time to the action clan upper or top rollJ. The bot tom of the upper roll is concave incrosses tion substantially as shown; see the concave curve-5X ofthisrolLFig. 5.. The sides J, J of this roll are inclined outwardly fromthe bottom to theoint where the flanges B, B

the rrietal blank, of which an end view 'is shown in the precedinfigure. elevation of the metal lank after being sub corners.

of the iron respectively come near to or against them. The bottomportion of the lower roll K is substantially or the same convexity as isthe concavity of the upper roll J .see the curve KX of this roll.

indicated by the curve B. The sides C, (1,

are inclined upwardly and outwardly, and the flanges B, B, upwardly andinwardly, as represented in Figs. 7 and 8. The rolls keep the sides G,C, of the blank much inclined outwardly, and form the lower corners (l 0of an obtuse angle shape. That is to say, these corners are notyetformed into sharp Here; the junctions between the sides and the back arenot sharp angles but adual curves, and the back is curved up etween thesides. The blank thus formed is now subjected to a top roll M and to alower roll P. The roll M has the inclined sides N and a concave bottomhm. The lower .roll P has the inclined side flanges Q, Q, and the treadof this roll-is convex as indicated by the curve PX. The inclina tionsof the working sides N, N, ofthe roll M and the sides Q, Q, of the rollP are less than those of the rolls J and K aforesaid, that is to say,these sides of the rolls M and P are more vertical than those of therolls J and K.

The blank resulting from the operation of iron is now in an unusuallygood form to re- ,ceive the final operation whereby it is bent to. itsfinal, complete and perfect shape.

The iron is now subjected to the action of the rolls R and T. The upperroll it has a flat tread RX, and its sides S, S, are substan- T'he lowerroll T is flat on thebottom tread TX, and sides or flanges V, V, of thisroll are vertical. The efiect of these rolls is to accomplish in a verysimple manner the shaping of the iron into the completed form. Thiscompleted form is illustrated in Figs. 9 and 10.

The object in h ring the two sets of rolls,

' namely: those shown in Fig. 5, and those 1 shown in Fig. 7, bothsimilar except that the sides of the one in Fig. 5 lie more nearly hori.zontal than those of Fig. 7, is to enable heavy (thick) plate to berolled Without breaking at the corners C 0 This gradual bending of themetal and its gradual assumption of a sharp angle at the bends whichconstitute the corners enables the heavy metal to be successfully bentatth'esehnes. When the metal of the blank is liht (thin), it can be bentwithout the aid of the rolls of Fig. 5.

4 In other-words, this step of the process can left before entering therolls.

stance be dispensed with. In such a case, the metal blank formed betweenthe rolls G, H, of Fi 3, can be next subjected to the rolls M, 1?, ofFig. and thereafter to the rolls R, T, of Fig. 9. This method of formingthe brace iron enables it to be manufactured in a simple, ei'lective andeconomicalmanner. There fore the brace iron can be made of tougher andbetter iron than when cast of malleable iron. Other advantages of thisprocess will be obvious and apparent. I

The rolls have been described where the bottom or backof the brace ironisunderneath, but the osition, of the rolls and the iron might be canged. This is immaterial, so long as they all occupy the same positionrelatively to each other.

Each flange of the rolls may constitute an independent roll, but suchdivision would be expensive, and not im rove the product, to wit: theiron brace. herefore such division i undesirable and de arts to thisextent from the simplicity of t ese features of my invention.

In Fig. 13, I have illustrated the'four ste s aforedescribed of therocess of making tile brace iron. The meta blank Z is seen at the Part 1shows the result of the first set of rolls; part '2, of the second setof rolls; art 3 of the third selt1 of rolls, and part 4. ot the 'fourthstep of ro s.

When the metal blank is a long one and the sets of rolls are successivlynear each other, they will all actin close succession on the blanksillustrated in said figure.

In the opening portion of this specification, I have said that thesebrace irons are pri marily designed for use in connection with thewooden erch pieces of the running gear of a road ve' cle, but I wish itunderstood that I am aware that the brace iron is usefully ap ,licablein'many constructions other than ve icle perches, and I therefore claimmy invention and its several features in their application for and inall such application. When combined with perch pieces E, channels F, arecut in sides of. these pieces, one channel at each side, and the braceis applied to the perch, each of the flanges B, B respectively enteringthe adjacent channel F, as illustrated 'in Fig. 12.

What I claim as new, and of my invention and desire to secure by LettersPatent, is

1. The herein described process, which consists in forming flanges uponthe sides ofa rectangular metal blank, bending the stsntially verticalposition, substantially as blllank aflter'saiii flsiinges havebeeilfonned so described. 1: at it as inc ine si es, 11 War y curvin thebottom of the blank, aiid straightening HENRY HIGGIN 5 the bottomthereof, thereby 'brin 'ing said Attest:

fiangesintoasubstantiallyhorizonta position HENRY A. FABER, and bringingsaid inclined sides into a sub- HORACE O. DRAKE.

